Reversible self-dumping and self-bailing scow



Jan. 28, 1969 P. J. ROCHE ETAL 3,424,119

REVERSIBLE SELF-DUMPING AND SELF-BAILING SCOW' Filed Nov. 20, 1967 Sheet1 0f 2 I. INVENTORS A7 7UP/VEY Jan. 28, 1959 3,424,119

REVERSIBLE SELF-DUMPING AND SELF-BAILING SCOW P. J. ROCHE ETAL Sheet 2of2 Filed Nov. 20, 1967 1 N VEN TORS Anne/v6) United States Patent 7Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reversible scow having opposingsurfaces of identical construction alternately operative as deck orbottom and provided intermediate these surfaces with a plurality ofwater-tight compartments, means to flood selected compartments along oneside of the scow to overturn the scow and automatic self-bailing meansto drain the flooded compartments in the overturned position of thescow.

This invention relates to the field of deck and dump scows and has forits objective the creation of a self-dumping and self-bailing scow ofwhich the opposing surfaces are identical and interchangeable, and whichis provided with water-tight compartments, intermediate theseinterchangeable surfaces, which may be selectively flooded to cause thescow to overturn completely, whereby the bottom surface becomes the deckand the deck becomes the bottom surface, thereby dumping the loadcarried by the scow, with means to allow the flooded compartments toempty themselves back into the sea by gravity flow. A further object isto operate the scow in this manner by remote control.

In the present state of the art, scows which are used to carry deckloadsof sand, dirt, gravel or other materials are often provided with somemeans for dumping these loads, by devices which either incline the deckor the entire scow to a certain angle from the horizontal, therebyshifting the center of gravity of the load, whereby the load drops offthe deck. After the load is removed the deck or the entire scow, as thecase may be, is brought back to its original horizontal position.Because of the fact that the load is caused to drop from the deck of thescow by reason of its incline, the speed with which it is unloaded isdetermined by the extent of incline created, and the degree to which thescow can be inclined is limited by the danger of capsizing with toogreat an incline. With the present invention no such problem exists. Thescow is intended to be overturned, without damage or injury, and thecargo thereby dumped with dispatch.

It is therefore the principal object of our invention to provide aself-dumping and self-bailing reversible scow which is provided withidentical opposing surfaces, either of which is operative as deck orbottom, separated by water-tight intermediate compartments and providedwith means to flood selected compartments to cause the scow to overturncompletely, thereby dumping its load, and means to drain the floodedcompartments by gravitational flow of the water therefrom.

A second important object of our invention lies in the provision of ascow, as above described, wherein the compartment flooding means and thecompartment draining means function automatically, depending on theposition of the scow.

A third important object of our invention lies in the provision of ascow, as above described, which can be operated by remote control.

Still another important object of our invention lies in the provision ofa reversible scow which does not require drydocking for inspection,repair or maintenance.

These and other salient objects, advantages and functional features ofour invention, together with the novel features of construction,composition and arrangement of parts, will be more readily apparent froman examination of the following description, taken with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of ourinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the broken linesshowing the division of the interior of the scow by bulkheads andpartition into water-tight ballast tanks or compartments;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the remote control valve actuatorsystem;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views showing the scow in theprocess of overturning and dumping its load; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views of modified embodiments of ourinvention.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout thedifferent views.

Illustrative of the embodiment shown by FIGS. 1-8, our reversible scow10 comprises a pair of identical surfaces 12a and 12b, secured togetherby side walls 14 and 16, rear wall 18 and a curved front wall 20 todefine a water-tight interior compartment 22. The surfaces 12a and 12b,either of which may become the deck of the scow 10, depending on theposition of the scow 10 in the water as will be hereinafter explained,are parallel to one another except that they are each inclined outwardlyat one end to form the banks 24a and 24b, and thereafter slope inwardlyto form, with the curved wall 20, a towing header 26. Each of thesurfaces or deck 12a and 12b is provided, along each side, with apontoon-type coaming rail 28, extending respectively from the banks 24aand 24b to the rear, or stern wall 18, with each pair of rails 28 beingengaged, near their rear ends, by an intermediate transverse tailgate30, the tailgate 30 pivotally mounted to the rails 28 as shown at 32.With the tailgate 30, rails 28 and respective banks 24a and 24b formingthe load enclosure for the respective decks 12a and 12b. A towing bridleeye 34 is secured to each side of the front wall 20.

The interior compartment 22 of the scow 10 is subdivided by a centrallongitudinal water-tight bulkhead 36 extending from stem to sternthrough the compartment 22, and by a horizontal water-tight partition38, extending from the bulkhead 36 to the side wall 14, with furtherbulkheads 40, 41 and 42 extending from the bulkhead 36 to the side wall14, perpendicular to the partition 38, to define two upper air-tightcompartments, or ballast tanks, 44 and 46, and two lower air-tightcompartments, or ballast tanks, 48 and 50, the remaining area of thecompartment 22 being otherwise unenclosed.

The side wall 14 of the scow 10 is provided with a plurality of ports 52opening into each of the tanks 44 and 46 adjacent the partition 38, andwith a plurality of ports 54 opening into each of the tanks 48 and 50adjacent the partition 38, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the ports52 and 54 being controlled by a flood valve 56 disposed in registrytherewith. A pair of air lines 58 open into each of the tanks 44 and 46,near the partition 38,

and extend through the balance of the compartment 22 16 of the scow 10and provided with a weighted arm 66 which shifts by gravitational forceto open and close the valve 64, as will be hereinafter shown. A bar 68extends from the adjacent bulkhead 40, 41 or 42 across the plane ofmovement of the arm 66, limiting movement of the arm to the deck 12b toclose the valve 64-, and to the hair 68 to open the valve 64.

Similarly, a pair of air lines 58' open into each of the tanks 48 and 50near the partition 38, and extends through the balance of thecompartment 22 and through the deck 12a to define an exposed exhausttube 60, as shown in FIGS. -8. Each of the lines 58 is provided with abranch line 62' which opens into and extends from an opening in thecorresponding tanks 44 and 46 adjacent the deck 12a, extends therefromin the form of a U and opens into the respective air line 58'intermediate its ends. Each air line 58 is similarly controlled by agravity valve 64', secured to the side wall 16 of the scow 10, providedwith a weighted arm 66' whose gravitational movement to open and closethe valve 64 is controlled between the deck 12a and an arresting bar 68,similarly disposed. Each exhaust tube 60 and 60' is covered by a meshscreen (not shown) to prevent foreign matter from passing through thetubes 60 and 60'.

As shown by FIG. 4, the flood valves 56 are controlled and activatedselectively by means of a central remote control signal received 70disposed within the scrow and connected to the respective valves 56 sothat by remote control signal impulse the valves 56 located in the uppertanks 44 and 46 can be selectively opened or closed, and the valves 56located in the lower tanks 48 and 50 can be selectively opened andclosed.

In the operation of our scow 10, as shown diagrammatically by FIGS. 5-8,the empty scow 10 rides high above the water line of the body of water,ocean, lake, bay and the like, in which it is operated, with the deck12a forming the top, or load, surface, and the deck 12b forming thebottom surface. After being loaded with load L, the scrow 10 issubmerged, so that its lower tanks 48 and 50 are below water level WL.One or more scows 10, similarly loaded and secured together as is wellknown in the art, are then towed toward their destination, by tug orother means. Upon arrival the valves 56 located in the tanks 48 and 50are opened by remote control, the sea water flooding the tanks and theair escaping therefrom through the air lines 58' whose valves 64' havebeen open by reason of the gravitational position of the weighted arms66'. As the water floods the tanks 48 and 50 the center of gravityshifts in the direction of the increased weight, and the scow 10 heelsover in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 7, with the load L shiftingin the same direction, until the scow 10 rolls over completely, dumpingthe load L into the water and exposing bottom surface 121) of the scow10, which now becomes its deck, with tanks 48 and 50 becoming the uppertanks and tanks 44 and 46 the lower tanks. As shown in FIG. 8, due tothe removal of the load L and the buoyancy created by the rails 28, thescow 10 now rides higher in the water, with the tanks 48 and 50 abovewater level WL. In this position and with the flood valves 56 stillopen, the water in these tanks begins to drain back into the sea throughthe respective ports 54, replaced by air coming into the tanks throughthe air lines 58, whose gravity valves 64 are now open. After all waterhas drained out of the tanks 48 and 50, the valves 56 are closed byremote control, and the scow 10 returns for another load and arepetition of the operation. This time surface 12b is the deck of thescow 10, and tanks 44 and 46 are the lower tanks to be flooded.

It is to be noted that when the scoW 10 is being towed, with or withoutload, the tail gate 30 secured to the surface 12a or 12b, which is thebottom surface at the time, is pivotally forced into a horizontalposition by the movement through the water, thereby reducing resistanceto such movement.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, there are shown, diagrammatically,modified embodiments of our invention. In FIG. 9 the upper ballast tanks44 and 46, and lower tanks 48 and 50, are disposed on opposite side ofthe scow 10', with air lines 58 and 58' suitably disposed in conformitytherewith (air lines not shown). In FIG. 10, the modification is similarto the embodiment of FIGS. 5-8, except that the bulkhead 36 is offcenter to create larger ballast tanks 44, 46, 48 and 50 for the scow10". As is of course obvious, in all of these embodiments, the number,size and shape of the flooding or ballast tanks may be varied within thescope of the invention, depending on the size, shape and purpose for thescow, or similar vessel.

The scows 10, 10' and 10", hereinabove described, are constructedpreferably of steel, with the exception, of course, of the air lines 58and 58, but it is to be understood that other suitable materials may besubstituted, in whole or in part. Likewise, the valves 56 are preferablyof the butterfly type with electric actuators, such as are well known inthe art, but other types of valves or flooding means may be substituted.

It is also to be noted that drydocking for inspection, repair ormaintenance becomes unnecessary with scows of our invention. Since thescow 10 is reversible either half may be selectively exposed fornecessary attention.

The embodiments thus shown and described, therefore, are by way ofillustration and not of limitation, and various changes may be made inthe construction, composition and arrangement of parts withoutlimitation upon or departure from the spirit and scope of the invention,or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherent therein.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A reversible self-dumping and self-bailing scow comprising:

a pair of opposing surfaces adapted alternately to become the deck andthe bottom surface of the scow, each of said surfaces being curved atits front end to define a towing header and provided with coaming railscomprising water-tight pontoons along its sides and a tailgate at itsrear transverse said coaming rails and pivotally mounted to the saidrails,

the header, rails and tailgate forming a load enclosure for the scow,

side and end walls securing the said surfaces in spaced relationship toone another to define an intermediate water-tight compartmentthereinbetween,

the compartment being further subdivided to define upper and lowerwater-tight ballast tanks, and means to flood the ballast tanksselectively to overturn the scow,

the said means adapted to allow gravitational drainage of the floodedballast tanks in the overturned position of the scow.

2. A scow as described in claim 1, the intermediate water-tightcompartment being subdivided by bulkheads and partitions to define upperand lower water-tight ballast tanks disposed along one side of the scow.

3. A scow as described in claim 1, the intermediate water-tightcompartment being subdivided by bulkheads and partitions to define upperand lower water-tight ballast tanks along both sides of the scow.

4. A scow as described in claim 2, the means to flood the ballast tanksselectively comprising a plurality of ports provided in one side of thescow and opening into the said ballast tanks, a valve disposed againstand in registry with each port, and air lines opening into each ballasttank and adapted to permit the flow of air out of the ballast tankduring its flooding and into the tank during its drainage, the valvesbeing selectively activated by a remote control electrical activatordisposed in the scow.

5. A scow as described in claim 3, the means to flood the ballast tanksselectively comprising a plurality of ports provided in each side of thescow and opening into the said ballast tanks, a valve disposed againstand in registry References Cited with each port, and air lines openinginto each ballast UNITED STATES PATENTS tank and adapted to permit theflow of air out of the ballast tank during its flooding and into thetank during 8 :12: its drainage, the valves being selectively activatedby a 5 214433 4/1879 Mitcheil remote control electrical activatordisposed in the scow. 1 128707 2/1915 Middaunfl:

6. A scow as described in claim 4, the opening and 1:399:048 12/1921Butt. closing of each air line being controlled by a gravity valve.1,757,495 5/1930 Zickerow et 7. A scow as described in claim 5, theopening and 1 73 514 1 19 0 BickelL closing of each air line beingcontrolled by a gravity valve. 10 1,738,138 1/ 1931 Wflband t 1,

TRYGVE M. BLlX Primary Examiner.

